13 June, 2011

We want to congratulate Alec Burney who just completed the 1200 kilometer Shenandoah Brevet in a time of 84-hours and 50-minutes.

Not only did Alec complete the very mountainous ride and endure searing heat and torrential thunderstorms, but he rode the 60-miles to the start. Then he rode 60-miles back and, instead of going home, he came directly to the VO office to catch up on e-mails and answer tech questions!

43 comments:

Good ride - however not to critique you but should drop that rear sail fender extension, the cross-guard reflective belt (get a vest if you insist on daytime visibility) and for sure level out the seat (should be level to slightly pointing up - need a medium size level to do this properly). Seat post is way too low - so the question arises - is the frame too big or are you too low on the bike? If the frame is proper then the front hub should be invisible when riding on the drops of the handlebars (the top of the handlebar should obstruct the view of the hub w/ 110-130 stem).Also the leg should slightly be bent at the point where you line-up the crank arm following the angle of the seat tube.

Also don't recommend listening to music while riding in traffic - but if you have to get a small rearview mirror so you know what is coming up on you.

Road shoes are more comfortable for long distances rather than mtb shoes. Carnac used to make a wooden sole shoe which was extremely comfortable and stiff - the wood would absorb a lot of shock and heat (Duegi and Sidi invented this about 30 years ago).

No offense Ted, but I'm thinking if he can ride a 1200k (and then come to work after) with that fit/setup and his choice of shoes, than he is pretty much good to go. He'd be on his way to the hospital if his fit were as bad as you're implying.

Really? Not to critique then a huge list of criticisms? Saddle tilt is dependent on a variety of fit factors, not including but not limited to frame size, bar height, saddle design, riding style, seat angle, and of course personal preference. A level saddle is a STARTING point for a fit, not a final solution.

Fender flaps are a great way to keep those drafting you dry.

Classically sized bikes often exhibit little to no post showing. Look at any old catalogue for an example. Or old racing photos, for that matter.

The idea that hubs should be obscured by the bars has no basis in real world cycling, where factors such as fork rake, toe clip over lap, bar height and stem length need to be considered. Biomechanics trumps arbitrary racing rules any day.

Helmets, like music, are a personal choice.

Point being, dude has logged tons of miles this year, and wouldn't be riding what he is riding if it didn't work.

Anybody who can cycle 1200 kms in 84 hours can pretty much ride what he wants, when he wants, how he wants. I don't think he needs advice from anybody. He cycled a double century for four consecutive days. Amazing.

Camp6bell: oh wow, does look like trucknutz. It's a small bivvy sack, Paul and I both carried one in car we wanted a long nap in the cold early mornings. We didn't use drop bags or spend a lot of time (3 hrs or so) at overnight controls because the course is too hilly (gps said 43,000 Ft) for dawdling, so the bivvys were good insurance against cold emergency naps, but unneeded, and does look like trucknutz. Ewwww

Winga: if you're getting a custom, the ideal way to mount this rack is to Rando rack eyes like on our Rando and Mixte frames... These go about 3.75" below the bottom of the fork crown... Email if you need help with more exact placement, but it's always best to send your builder the rack first!

That "front hub should be invisible when riding in the drops" was a popular fit recommendation, oh, 30 years ago. I remember reading that in the fit section of a book called The Custom Bicycle back in the early 1980's. Wonder what Jobst has to say on the subject?

Also, I would guess the "cross-guard reflective belt" would not be near as hot as riding in a full on reflective vest.

Ted,Good comment - however not to critique you but should drop that dad-itude, the "former member of the US Cycling team" signature (get back on a team if you insist on internet visibility) and for sure mellow out the outdated fitting technique advice (should be keeping up with modern fit or at least not old wives tales - need a medium size attention span to do this properly). Comment is way too long - so the question arises - is the ego too big or are you too long off the bike? If the critique is appropriate then the other commenters shouldnt be making fun of your post later on (the top of the comment list should obstruct the view of your comment w/ 10-30 other posts).

OK, I'll stop. Its was too easy...

But seriously: Alex, what did you eat on your ride? Do you mostly drink water or other stuff? Do you have any magic advice for other young riders?

I posted fit guidelines for Alec that reference whether the bike fits properly or not. Yes they have been used for a long time but are still valid - again without being there in person - to check one's position on the bike. I've seen plenty of cyclists develop problems with ill-fitting bikes.

Anon: I mostly ate everything. I tended towards fruit, nuts, salty chips, cliff-bars and similar, and caffeinated shot blocks at night. Twice a day it's really nice to have a sandwich, omelette, something like that. I tried hard to have more milk, cheese, and vegetables than I usually do on a ride and avoid sugar more, but a candy bar is great too..

I drank water as much as I could, but every third bottle ended up being either caffeinated soda, milk, gatorade, or juice.

Hello Alec,congratulations from Boston,Out of curiosity what are you using for lights? It looks like a supernova (upside down mount?) and possibly a shimano hub but I can't tell. Is the tail light wired in as well? I am curious about your thoughts because I am started to do 200k + rides that extend into night and am looking at lighting systems. thanks

First off, congrats! I finished my first 1200k last year and it was a great experience, Shenandoah is on my list of future rides, I'll have to stop into VO whenever I do it!

Many of Ted's comments will clearly be way off the mark to experienced distance cyclists, but just in case:

- The front hub thing is totally weird, and is going to be invalidated by the long reach bars and fork rake. For long distance bikes using a slightly shorter stem with longer reach bars provides a few more hand positions and will not affect handling, as you will likely end up placing the weight where you would have the majority of the time other another set-up anyway. These bars just provide more options than just those positions.

- The sash is a much more comfortable solution than a vest. And, likely, it's not for daytime visibility really, it's sometimes just easier to leave it on after night riding than to remove it and stow it away. RM requires a specific type of France approve vest for PBP, but stateside the sash is by far the most popular visibility solution. Vests sometimes block rear pockets or front zippers, and frequently don't fit tight enough to not blow around when traveling fast.

- Shoes are also totally preference, I prefer road shoes, but many people prefer the extra float and walkability of mountain shoes for distance riding. Same as many things for distance riding, if you have a pair that works without hot spots or other issues, it's best to just use those for your longest efforts.

- Fit wise, if you can ride a 1200k on the bike without comfort or other issues, the bike fits just fine. Everyone I've seen that has saddle height or positioning issues generally figures it out around 600k, if not way before.

I highly doubt that long distance cycling bike set-ups are that drastically different than racing road bikes but I could be wrong.

When I was racing there were many 100 mile days of training and the road bikes were very comfortable.

Just one quick view of that set-up I know I would have problems climbing out of the saddle because the top tube would be "too high" due to the frame size selection - someone else might prefer this out of a simple preference.

"I highly doubt that long distance cycling bike set-ups are that drastically different than racing road bikes but I could be wrong."

Wha? Nothing you mentioned earlier had to do with drastic differences, only small adjustments. You just contradicted yourself. Also you are wrong.

"When I was racing there were many 100 mile days of training and the road bikes were very comfortable."

This is tangentially related, but does not apply in such a nuanced way to 746 miles in 3.5 days as you seem to think it does.

"Just one quick view of that set-up I know I would have problems climbing out of the saddle because the top tube would be "too high" due to the frame size selection - someone else might prefer this out of a simple preference."

Exactly. Again, way to go contradicting yourself by offering fit advice and now backtracking to say that people can in fact have a bike fit that is different than you and still be comfortable. Duh.

First, that’s pretty dang cool you were on the US Cycling team! It’s also nice that you have wandered over to the Velo Orange blog.

If I may generalize, the demographic here is a bit out of the mainstream of cycling. You’ll find folks who don’t subscribe to the theory that if it works for professional racing cyclist it must be good for the average rider out there. People here tend to think (again, I’m generalizing) that most riders would benefit from a more versatile and a bit more comfortable bike than an all out racing machine. The traditional randonneur bike is certainly a source of inspiration among this crowd. So, the ideas of fit, gear, etc. are very different that what you find in the average bike shop or in Bicycling magazine. I’m sure I way over-simplified that, but hope that helps. All the best!

I found this site interesting as they recommend a different frame size depending on your style of riding. A "Competitive" fit frame for racing is smaller than the "Eddy" fit, which is smaller again that the "French" fit (which is suited for Alex's Rando style riding).http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTROThey also give a detailed rationale for the different frame sizes including why standover height is not a major consideration for larger French fit frames.

Congratulations on finishing such a difficult ride! Was this randonnee organized by roma brevet.org this past weekend? I wasn't aware of it, and couldn't find it. Of course it doesn't in any way diminish your accomplishment. I'm just curious because I'm interested in doing a randonnee myself someday.

Alec, whats up with that long hair and beard? Not very aero. When I was on the US Cycling team we shaved our butts. Would highly recommend a full body shave, and wearing nothing but a thong, if you want to cut your wind resistance.

Also, I feel like in general you didnt spend enough money on your setup.

Bravo Alec !Félicitations depuis la France :)It's great to see a young guy riding 1200 kms on a classic bike !I love those intrepid plans ; it's a good start, keep it up ! Always with some V.O stuff, of course ^^